How to Draw Caricatures For Beginners

The art of drawing is something that can be learnt. It’s true that some people simply have more of a natural flare for art than others, but that doesn’t mean that practice doesn’t make perfect!

If you’ve ever been walking down the street and seen a caricature artist busy at work, you were probably a little bit captivated. The sheer talent involved in taking a regular picture and turning it into something so artistic and humorous is a fantastic thing to be able to do. You might look at it and think there’s no way you’ll ever be able to do it, but there is a way! You can learn, you can practice, and eventually you will get there.

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How to Draw Caricatures For Beginners

We’re going to talk about how to draw caricatures for beginners, and whilst it might all sound complicated at first, once you start putting pencil to paper and letting your creativity flow, you’ll soon see how easy it can be. Of course, words will only take you so far, and you will need to see images, to help you develop your skills into a talent. In that case, online sources are a fantastic option when learning, and if you head to sites such as Learn to Draw, you’ll be able to see in person just what to do.

First things first however, gather your equipment and set yourself up to begin. You’ll need pencils, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, A4 paper, and you’ll need a picture of the person you’re going to be drawing in caricature style. Sit somewhere comfortable, and if possible somewhere with good lighting. You’re probably going to be there a while, experimenting and changing things, so make sure that you are comfortably sat, and you’re not going to stretch or pull your back.

The whole point of caricature drawing is that you’re going to emphasize certain features of that person. You’re going to draw them to the point where it looks like them, for sure, but you’re going to maximize and exaggerate their most famous features, to create an ‘out there’ kind of picture.

For instance, on Angelina Jolie, you would emphasize her lips further, because that’s what she is famous for, and you would play up her eyes, because she is known for being sexy. It’s about the person they are and what they are known for in their personality, as much as how they look too.

So, look at the photo and pick out the features you want to emphasize and maximize. Once you know that, you can begin. The place to begin is always the eyes. You should begin just above the center of the page, because this means that you will not run out of room as you move outwards. Once you have the eyes in place, you can then move on to the features that you want to emphasize.

A Few Important Points to Remember When Drawing Caricatures

You’re not drawing a portrait, and there are a few things to remember in terms of the differences between portraits and caricatures. You are not going to draw the hair in detail, you are going to draw the outline and add a few lines to show texture, but you’re not going to draw every single line. You’re also going to work with bold, confident lines, so you don’t want to draw with a sharp pencil; instead, go for a slightly blunt pencil.

Your blending tool, e.g. the tool you use to shade and create shadows, needs to be prepared before you use it. You can buy your blending tool at a regular store, and then you need to load it up with the graphite from a lead pencil, by scribbling all over a blank piece of paper and rolling the tool in it. It sounds ridiculous, but this will help you to shade and blend much easier, and more effectively.

Don’t be shy when drawing your lines either. You need to be confident and really go for it. You have an eraser there for a reason remember, and you shouldn’t be afraid to just try and experiment, to see where it takes you.

Once you have finished your caricature, evaluate it. Does it look like the person? If so, you’re ticking a major box. Now, do the features that need to be exaggerated look suitably exaggerated? Again, look carefully. Are they too exaggerated? Is this possible? Yes! If the exaggeration takes away the likeness, you need to tone it down a little.

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